A person might choose to pursue a bachelor's degree for any number of personal reasons. Some of the more common motivations to earn a bachelor's degree include:

Bachelor's Degree Versus Associate Degree

Bachelor's degree programs typically take four years to complete and require general education courses followed by courses tied to a degree. This degree level helps students to learn skills in a specific field, or "major," such as business or information technology or sociology. In general, bachelor's degree programs:

Students who have already earned an associate degree are generally at an advantage when it comes to completing a bachelor's degree program. Many schools accept transfer courses from one degree level to the next, allowing students to build on the skills they developed during their associate program and complete a four-year degree program in less time.

Reasons to Pursue a Bachelor Degree Program

Not all bachelor degree programs are necessarily the same even when taking into account the differences between different schools and majors. Listed below are several different formats in which these programs can be completed:

Online Bachelor Degree Programs for Career Training

Many bachelor degree programs are designed to provide you the necessary skills and education to fulfill at least an entry-level position in your desired industry. Examples:

Bachelor Programs Build to a Graduate Degree

Some careers require you to obtain a graduate degree before qualifying for employment. In this case it's important, and sometimes required, to develop the fundamentals the field or related field that you are intending on studying in an online graduate school.

For example, you'd need to earn at least a master's degree to become an attorney, and it's unlikely you'd be able to earn a master's without first completing a baccalaureate.

Generally, there are specific undergraduate degree programs that students complete in order to prepare for the next step of their education -- to continue our example, as an aspiring attorney, you might decide to earn your bachelor's degree in criminal justice as a stepping stone for enrolling in law school afterwards.

Occupations That Can Start With an Bachelor Degree

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, many occupations only require candidates to have an bachelor degree. Here's a look at some of them:

Healthcare Fields:

Psychology, Healthcare Management, Nursing, Healthcare Services Administration, Allied Health

Business Fields:

Business Administration, Accounting, Human Services, Management

Technology Fields

Computer Programming Software Development, Computer Science, Information Technology
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